Department for Transport

Procurement

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many contracts signed by his Department with suppliers of services or consultants include a clause providing that if the contract is abrogated by the Government, the provider or consultant will be compensated for lost income since 2010.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport and its agencies have no contracts that have been signed since 2010 that include this clause.

Correspondence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how often his Department reviews its processes regarding the logging of emails, letters and other correspondence received; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport aims to respond to 95% of correspondence from MPs and Peers in 20 working days and to 80% of correspondence from members of the public in 20 working days. Guidance on handling correspondence from Members of Parliament, Peers, MEPs and Members of devolved Administrations is available online at the following link –https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/61196/guide-handling-gov-correspondence.pdf

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

North Korea

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions HM Embassy in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea has had with the government of that country on the compatibility of international human rights law with domestic North Korean law.

Mr Hugo Swire: We take every opportunity to ensure the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) government is aware of our serious concern about the human rights situation in the DPRK, and we do specifically raise the incompatibility of its domestic law with international human rights law. On 9 October, the British Ambassador met the Deputy Director of the International Organisations Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Han Tae Sung, and underlined the strength of UK concern on this issue. In July, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Director for Asia Pacific visited Pyongyang and, during meetings with the DPRK government and the Workers’ Party of Korea, called for serious progress to be made in improving the human rights situation in accordance with international law. On 28 August, the British Chargé d’Affaires in Pyongyang, together with other EU heads of mission, met DPRK Foreign Minister, Ri Su Yong, who indicated a willingness to engage in dialogue with the EU on human rights, which is being pursued.

Boko Haram

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure the safety of UK delegations in regions where Boko Haram poses a threat.

James Duddridge: While most British visitors encounter no problems when visiting Nigeria and Cameroon, Boko Haram has conducted attacks in both countries. FCO travel advice for both countries provides information and advice to help all travellers make better informed decisions. This is reviewed on a regular basis and includes information and advice about the terrorist threat. For those parts of Nigeria and Cameroon where we judge that the level of risk to British nationals is unacceptably high, we advise against all or all but essential travel. These areas are shown clearly on the maps that accompany the travel advice on the GOV.UK website.We encourage all British nationals planning travel to, or living in, Nigeria and Cameroon to consult our travel advice regularly.

North Korea

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of substantially or wholly UK-based charitable organisations and social enterprises which operate in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.

Mr Hugo Swire: One UK headquartered charitable organisation, Save the Children International, has a permanent office in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Substantially or wholly UK-based charitable organisations or social enterprises operating in the DPRK are not required to make us aware of their activities. Therefore, it would be difficult to make a reliable estimate on the numbers of such organisations engaged in any sort of activity in DPRK.

Iran

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the (a) promotion of the fundamental freedom of the press and (b) systematic use of detention and surveillance in Iran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Iran has an appalling record when it comes to freedom of expression, and has more journalists in prison than almost any other country. The majority of newspapers in Iran are now government controlled, and journalists and bloggers are routinely monitored, harassed, and detained. We urge Iran to allow freedom of expression, and respect the rights of all its citizens in line with its international obligations. We most recently raised our concerns around freedom of expression during Iran’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 31 October.

Central African Republic

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the situation in the Central African Republic.

James Duddridge: We remain extremely concerned by the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR). High levels of violence continue across the country, and huge numbers of the population have been displaced. The UN estimates that the whole population has been affected by this conflict in some way and that over 2.5 million people (more than half of the population) are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, including protection, food, health, water and sanitation and shelter.Our immediate focus is on working with the international community to protect civilians from violence and providing humanitarian support. The UK’s support has included £23m humanitarian aid to CAR; logistical support to the French and EUFOR missions; and financial support to MISCA. Diane Corner, former British Ambassador to Kinshasa became the UN Secretary General’s Deputy Special Representative to CAR in September.

Iran

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Iranian government on the arrest and imprisonment of Ghoncheh Ghavami.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: HMG has made repeated representations to the Iranian Government over the detention and welfare of Ghonceh Ghavami, including most recently on 11 November. Both the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) discussed her case with President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Zarif respectively in September. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is providing consular assistance to Ms Ghavami’s family at this difficult time.

Iran

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of financial and material support given by Iran to international terror groups; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have serious concerns over evidence of ongoing Iranian support for a number of terrorist groups in the Middle East, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the military wings of Hizballah and Hamas. Such activity is in contravention of UN sanctions and undermines regional security. During our bilateral engagement with Iran over the past year, we have raised our concerns over Iran’s activities in Syria and its support for militant groups across the Middle East. We hope that the Iranian government will respond to the shared threat from ISIL by aligning their approach with the international community’s efforts to bring stability to Iraq and Syria.

Iran

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of Iran's compliance with Modified Code 3.1 in the subsidiary arrangements to its Comprehensive Standards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The IAEA is responsible for ensuring Iran complies with its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. According to the IAEA, Iran is failing to implement modified Code 3.1. Under a comprehensive agreement, Iran will need to comply fully with its obligations under modified Code 3.1 in order to reassure the international community that Iran’s nuclear programme is entirely peaceful in nature.

Iran

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on that country's material and financial support for terror organisations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have serious concerns over evidence of ongoing Iranian support for a number of terrorist groups in the Middle East, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the military wings of Hizballah and Hamas. Such activity is in contravention of UN sanctions and undermines regional security. During our bilateral engagement with Iran over the past year, we have raised our concerns over Iran’s activities in Syria and its support for militant groups across the Middle East. We hope that the Iranian government will respond to the shared threat from ISIL by aligning their approach with the international community’s efforts to bring stability to Iraq and Syria.

Iran

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions officials in his Department have had with the Iranian government on Iran's compliance with Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (a) in general and (b) with reference to the reported comments on 6 October 2014 by Ali Yamesi, the adviser to President Rouhani on religious and ethnic minorities, on the illegality of religious conversion in Iran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The right to freedom of religion or belief, including the right to change one’s faith or beliefs, is a right which is enshrined in international human rights law. The UK government has consistently urged the Iranian government to respect the rights of all minority religious groups, in line with their international commitments. The UK last raised our concerns about freedom of religion in Iran during our inputs in Iran’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 31 October. The UK’s non-resident Chargé d’Affaires to Iran also raised the issue of freedom of religion with Iranian human rights officials during a visit to Iran in March 2014.

Iran

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the P5+1 has discussed the future status of sanctions against Iran in the event of a permanent nuclear deal.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Sanctions are a key part of the E3+3 negotiations with Iran. Ultimately, under a comprehensive deal, all sanctions imposed against Iran because of its nuclear programme will be lifted. The speed of sanctions relief will depend on the actions Iran takes to address proliferation concerns.

Attorney General

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, for which offences the Crown Prosecution Service routinely monitors the number and proportion of cases that fail because of victim issues.

Mr Robert Buckland: The CPS defendant case outcome records include an allocation of a reason for each unsuccessful outcome, including the number which did not proceed because of victim issues. These records are centrally collated under the following twelve Principal Offence Categories.   Homicide Offences against the person Sexual offences Burglary Robbery Theft and handling Fraud and forgery Criminal damage Drugs offences Public order offences Motoring offences All other offences

Sentencing: Appeals

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what the offence committed was in each case in which the sentence was considered to be unduly lenient but not altered by the Court of Appeal in the last five years; and what the reason for not increasing the sentence was in each case.

Mr Robert Buckland: The information requested is detailed below. 2010   OffenceReason for not altering sentenceConspiracy to supply controlled drug of Class BDouble jeopardy significant; not in the interests of justice.Wounding with intentSubstantial lapse of time since the offence was committed; Young age of the offender.Conspiracy to traffic persons for the purpose of sexual exploitationOffender’s poor mental healthGrievous bodily harm with intentDouble jeopardy significant; not in the interests of justice.Grievous bodily harm with intentDouble jeopardy significant; not in the interests of justice   2011   OffenceReason for not altering sentencerobberyFully complying with the terms of the suspended sentence order - not in the interests of justice.Wounding with intentCompassionate grounds; offender's brother had very recently committed suicide.Sexual assaultDouble jeopardy significant; not in the interests of justice   2012   OffenceReason for not altering sentenceCheating the Public RevenueOffender’s poor healthGrievous bodily harm with intentCompassionate grounds; fully complying with the terms of the suspended sentence order – not in the interests of justice.Producing a class B drug; possession with intent to supply a class B drug x 3; possession with intent to supply a class C drug; possession of a class C drug.Fully complying with the terms of the suspended sentence order; exemplary character – not in the interests of justice.   2013   OffenceReason for not altering sentenceBurglaryFully complying with the terms of the suspended sentence order – not in the interests of justice.Conspiracy to defraudDouble jeopardy significant; good progress made during detention in a Young Offenders’ Institute – not in the interests of justice.   2014   OffenceReason for not altering sentenceConspiracy to defraudDouble jeopardy significant; offender’s mental healthArsonFully complying with the terms of the suspended sentence order; offender in the early stages of pregnancy – not in the interests of justice.

Sentencing: Appeals

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what the reason was for not pursuing each case of sentences considered to be unduly lenient but not pursued in the Court of Appeal in the last five years; and what the offence committed in each case was.

Mr Robert Buckland: This information is not collated centrally and obtaining it would require my office to manually consider each file over the last 5 years which would involve a disproportionate cost.

Sentencing: Appeals

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what the reason was for withdrawing each case following an application to the Court of Appeal for a review of an unduly lenient sentence in each of the last 10 years; and what the offence committed in each case was.

Mr Robert Buckland: The information requested is detailed below.   2014   OffenceReasonConspiracy to defraud; converting criminal property; entering into an arrangement to facilitate the acquisition of criminal property.Offender fully complying with the terms of the suspended sentence order. Not in the public interest to proceed.Attempted arsonOffender deported before ULS hearingAttempted robbery; possessing a prohibited firearmOffender fully complying with the terms of the suspended sentence order. Not in the public interest to proceed.   2013   OffenceReasonManslaughter; conspiracy to robReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Arson with intent to endanger life.Review of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Conspiracy to rob; conspiracy to kidnap; Conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm; Conspiracy to commit false imprisonment; Conspiracy to blackmailReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Child crueltyReview of additional material – not in the public interest to proceed.Child crueltyAs aboveRobberyOffender fully complying with the terms of the suspended sentence order. Not in the public interest to proceed.RobberyOffender fully complying with the terms of the suspended sentence order. Not in the public interest to proceed.RobberyOffender fully complying with the terms of the suspended sentence order. Not in the public interest to proceed.RobberySuspended sentence order activated before the ULS hearing.   2012   OffenceReasonIncest and indecency with a childOffender fully complying with the terms of the suspended sentence order. Not in the public interest to proceed.Possession of a prohibited firearm; breach of restraining order; criminal damageSuccessful appeal against conviction.Indecent assault of a child under 13 years old; indecent assault of a male.Review of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Wounding with intentSentence amended before ULS hearing.Indecent assault on a male under the age of 16Review of additional material – not in the public interest to proceed.Indecent assaultReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.   2011   OffenceReasonConspiracy to defraudReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Robbery and aggravated vehicle takingReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.ManslaughterReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Wounding with intentReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.   2010   OffenceReasonPossessing a controlled drug of Class A with intent; Possessing criminal property; Converting criminal propertyReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Conspiracy to damage property being reckless as to whether life is endangeredReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Conspiracy to damage property being reckless as to whether life is endangeredReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Conspiracy to damage property being reckless as to whether life is endangeredReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Conspiracy to supply drugsReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Conspiracy to supply drugsReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Harbouring, concealing, carrying or dealing with goods contrary to section 170 (1) (b)of customs and excise management act 1979Review of additional material – sentence would not be increasedRobbery & handling stolen goodsReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Possessing Class A drug with intent to supply & supply of Class A drugOffender fully complying with the terms of Community Order. Not in the public interest to proceed.BurglaryOffender sentenced to a custodial sentence for breaching Community Order. New sentence not unduly lenient.Perverting the course of justiceOffender fully complying with the terms of Community Order. Not in the public interest to proceed.assault by penetration & sexual assaultReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.   2009   OffenceReasonRobberyReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.ManslaughterReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity; Sexual assault of a child under 13; Rape of a child under 13Review of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (Cocaine) and Production of Class C (Cannabis)Offender sentenced to a custodial sentence after breaching Community Order. New sentence not unduly lenient.Possession of Cocaine with intent to supply; Cultivating Cannabis; Abstracting electricityReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.Robbery & Possessing an imitation firearmReview of additional material – sentence would not be increased.   This information for 2005-2008 is not collated centrally and obtaining it would require my office to manually consider each file over this 4 year period which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, whether the Serious Fraud Office has concluded any deferred prosecution agreements with any companies charged with fraud or corruption offences.

Mr Robert Buckland: Deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) became available to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) on 24 February 2014. To date the SFO has not concluded any DPAs.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Students: Loans

Mr Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress the Government has made in its plans for the sale of the student loan book.

Greg Clark: Work is on-going but there are no plans for a sale in this Parliament.

Students: Plagiarism

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will bring forward proposals to prohibit businesses advertising assignment-writing services to higher education students; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 November 2014 to Question UIN 212580 and 212825.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Mr William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to disabled students' allowances on supporting disabled individuals into work.

Greg Clark: The purpose of Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) is to support disabled students in their higher education studies. Disabled students will continue to receive support through DSAs but students should expect more help through their institution in discharging its statutory responsibility. The Interdepartmental Ministerial Group on Disability has been established to ensure disabled people are included in society and have opportunities to realise their aspirations, including a consideration of how disabled students can best be supported into work.

Insolvency

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the costs to insolvency practitioners of holding a physical creditor meeting in an insolvency procedure.

Jo Swinson: The cost of holding a meeting varies according to the insolvency process and the nature of the meeting being held. Estimates of the cost of the initial meetings in various insolvency procedures are included in the Impact Assessment [“Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill: proposed changes to the law governing insolvency proceedings impact assessment”, BIS/14/935, 30 October 2014] and range from £144 in a bankruptcy to £420 for an administration. ProcessCost of meeting/£Creditors’ voluntary liquidation294Administration420Compulsory winding-up (official receiver)144Company voluntary arrangement420Bankruptcy (official receiver)144Individual voluntary arrangement420

Insolvency

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the saving to the public purse made by removing the provision for insolvency practitioners to call a physical creditor meeting.

Jo Swinson: The savings to creditors identified in the first year from removal of the requirement to hold a meeting and abolition of final meetings in liquidations and bankruptcies where the official receiver is not the office holder, are estimated to be at least £9.2m (comprised of £2.9m for removal of requirement for meetings and £6.3m for abolition of final meetings). We have not sought to quantify the savings to the public purse, such as the specific benefit to HMRC as a creditor. We have however estimated that around 10% of creditors are not businesses, so approximately £0.9m of savings can be attributed to such creditors as Crown departments, employees and customers for deposits. The savings figures are based on 2013 costs.

Insolvency

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of (a) secured and (b) unsecured creditors who attend creditor meetings during an insolvency procedure.

Jo Swinson: There is no central record of how many creditors attend meetings in person, but evidence indicates that attendance at meetings is very low and that many meetings are not attended at all. The 2013 report, “Review of Insolvency Practitioner Fees” by Professor Elaine Kempson, estimated that only 4% of creditors attend meetings in person and that fully secured creditors seldom attend in person. The report goes on to say that two firms had actually calculated the percentage of creditors attending meetings in person. A large firm had calculated that 1% of creditors do so, and a smaller firm had calculated the amount to be 3.5%.

Social Services: Pay

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the contribution of 5 November 2014 by the Minister of State in his Department, Official Report, column 240WH, on care workers, when the themed work on minimum wage enforcement in the care sector will start.

Jo Swinson: We are considering how further targeted enforcement in the care sector may be undertaken as part of our annual review of HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) service level agreement for national minimum wage enforcement, taking account of the Minister of State for Care and Support’s views that this sector should be prioritised. This service level agreement sets out priority areas for enforcement activity. In addition to targeted enforcement activity, HMRC respond to every complaint made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should call the helpline on 0800 917 2368. In relation to the last targeted enforcement activity, HMRC published findings on 25 November 2013. Over the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013, HMRC had made enquiries into 224 employers in the social care sector. Of the cases completed by the end of September 2014, HMRC have found non-compliance in 108 (48%) of their enquiries, identifying £1,319,729 arrears of pay for 6,550 workers, with penalties issued with a total value of £146,931. As part of this targeted enforcement activity, HMRC have collaborated with care sector representative bodies to improve understanding of compliance risks and design controls within payroll systems that prevent workers being underpaid the minimum wage. The Department of Health has recently published statutory guidance for local authorities as part of the package of secondary legislation that accompanies the Care Act. The chapter of statutory guidance on commissioning and market shaping explicitly states that local authorities should have evidence that contract terms, conditions and fee levels will not compromise care providers’ ability to pay at least minimum wages. The Department of Health is asking all Local Authorities to sign up to the Social Care Commitment which incorporates a statement about employer compliance with minimum wage legislation. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has written out to all its members encouraging them to support the Commitment as a way of raising standards in adult social care.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2014 to Question 212120, if he will publish the consultation questions on proposed changes to disabled students' allowance.

Greg Clark: The Government engaged with stakeholders extensively over the summer on the changes proposed. This included Higher Education Institutions, the National Union of Students, Universities UK, disability groups and assessment centres. We received a number of letters and evidence from stakeholders. A Written Ministerial Statement, which set out revised proposals following these discussions, was published on 12 September.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2014 to Question 212119, (a) how many individual disabled students were directly consulted on proposed changes to disabled students allowance, (b) how many individual disabled students submitted views, (c) how their views were sought and (d) when the deadline for giving views was and how this was communicated to all stakeholders.

Greg Clark: Discussions took place with disabled students and student representatives such as National Union for Students (NUS) and AMOSSHE the Student Services Organisation. Letters and evidence were received from students and other interested parties and were used to inform policy and the equality analysis.   Discussions continue on the implementation of the changes announced on 12 September.

Employment Agencies

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many complaints on employment agency practices were received by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in 2013-14.

Jo Swinson: The Employment Agency Standards (EAS) inspectorate received 675 complaints, which related to breaches of the Conduct of Employment Agency and Employment Business Regulations (2003), between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014. Not all complaints received require a physical inspection in order to resolve them.   EAS sometimes receives additional complaints on employment agency practices which are outside of the scope of the legislation. EAS signposts these complainants to the most appropriate organisation to pursue that complaint.

Employment Agencies

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) inspections, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions were conducted by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in 2013-14.

Jo Swinson: The Employment Agency Standards (EAS) inspectorate carried out 130 visits to employment agencies between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014. These are split into four categories: Visits not related to a specific complaint – 22 Visits related to a specific complaint – 36 Targeted visits relating to a specific sector or geographic area – 46 Visits related to a specific complaint which included a full inspection – 26   During the same period, EAS brought seven prosecutions in the Magistrate’s Court, and in five of these obtained convictions against the individuals and companies involved.   During this period EAS also brought proceedings at the Employment Tribunal, to prohibit two individuals from being involved in running or owning employment agencies or employment businesses. Both were successful with one individual being prohibited for a period of seven years and the other for 10 years.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Terrorism

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2014, Official Report, column 851W, on prisoners' release: terrorism, what offences were committed by those released in those years; and what the length of sentence (a) awarded by the court and (b) served in prison was by each offender.

Andrew Selous: Further to the answer provided on 21 July 2014 [204644], the table below provides the offence and sentence details relating to those terrorist offenders who were charged with committing further offences following release from custody whilst subject to statutory supervision on licence. DateOffenceSentence awarded by the courtLength of sentence served in prison2012Deception – dishonestly obtaining a credit card.9 November 2012: sentenced to 4 months’ imprisonment – to be served concurrently with current sentence.Served 2 months imprisonment for this offence, but remained in custody, having been recalled, until 9 May 2013. Sentence Expiry Date for substantive terrorist offence 11 September 2016.2012Fraud - making a false statement to obtain motor insurance.At court, entered a not guilty plea. The case was eventually dismissed on the basis of a lack of evidence.Having been charged with a further offence, he was recalled to custody. He was re-released on 29 November 2012. Sentence expiry date for substantive terrorist offence 3 November 2017.2013Arrested in Possession of a false instrument - false passport.The offence was committed in November 2013. He was sentenced on 25 April 2014 to 28 months’ imprisonment.The custodial element of this sentence will be completed in November 2014, taking into account time spent on remand. However, he remains subject to recall, and it will then be a matter for the independent Parole Board to consider if and when it will direct the re-release of the offender. Sentence expiry date for substantive terrorist offence 20 February 2016.2013Make a false statement to obtain motor insurance.Fined £110, Court costs £85.No sentence of imprisonment. Sentence expiry date for substantive terrorist offence 18 July 2014 In the previous answer [204644], there was additionally some information provided on one offender who had completed a sentence for a terrorist offence in 2010 but was then convicted of a further terrorist offence. The details are that he was originally sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment on 18 July 2007, reduced to 4 years on appeal, for soliciting murder (during a rally against the cartoons satirising the prophet Mohammed in February 2006). He was released on 12 December 2008, on his conditional release date, and he was on licence until his sentence expiry date 12 October 2010. He was then sentenced to a total of 12 months’ imprisonment on 18 September 2012 for three offences of possessing a document or information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. His sentence expiry date was 7 May 2013. In October 2013, the Secretary of State announced that criminals convicted of terrorism offences will no longer be automatically released at the halfway point of their prison sentence. They will only be released before the end of their custodial term under strict conditions and at the discretion of the Parole Board, who must be satisfied that an offender’s risk has been addressed and can be managed in the community before they will allow release.

Victim Personal Statement Scheme

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of victims who made personal statements at parole hearings in each of the last 10 years.

Andrew Selous: The victim personal statement (VPS) was introduced in 2007, and provides victims with a valuable opportunity to tell the Parole Board how the prisoner’s offence has affected them or their family and what the impact of the prisoner’s release will be on them. Victims can submit a VPS in writing, or they can apply to the Parole Board to read it in person, with the presumption that the Parole Board will agree to this. The right to make a VPS to the Parole Board, and to apply to read it in person, was enshrined in the new Victims Code which was implemented in December 2013. The National Offender Management Service is committed to ensuring that victims are provided with support and information to help them decide whether they wish to make a VPS to the Parole Board. The National Offender Management Service does not record information centrally in relation to the number of victims who make a VPS, and has not made an estimate of this number. The Government has made a commitment to monitor criminal justice agencies’ compliance with the Victims’ Code and in “Our Commitment to Victims,” published on 15 September 2014, we announced that criminal justice agencies will publish information on how they have improved services for victims from April 2015.

Prisons: Violence

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure that prisoners in private prisons are safe from violence.

Andrew Selous: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) takes the issue of violence in prison very seriously. It has systems in place to deal with perpetrators quickly and robustly, with serious incidents referred to the police for prosecution. Current policy contained in Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 64/2011 states that every verbal or physical act of violence must be challenged. NOMS is committed to exploring options to continue to reduce violence to ensure prisons are safer places for everyone. It is currently reviewing the policy and practice of the management of violence with the aim of implementing new policy and guidance in early 2015.

Prisoners' Transfers

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been transferred from prisons in Scotland to prisons in England in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been transferred from prisons in England to prisons in Scotland in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Andrew Selous: From 1 January 2011 to the 31 December 2013 a total of 158 prisoners were transferred between prisons in Scotland and in England and Wales. The table below, sets out the totals that have transferred between the jurisdictions in each of the last three calendar years. Year of Transfer201120122013Transfers to Scotland from England and Wales341921Transfers to England and Wales from Scotland313221   The transfer of prisoners between the United Kingdom jurisdictions is governed by Schedule 1 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997, which provides for time limited and non-time limited transfers to assist prisoners in facilitating family contact and resettlement in the receiving jurisdiction. Transfers under these provisions are voluntary and require an application from the prisoner. The numbers reported here are drawn from a Prison Service Case Tracking System. Care is taken when processing these cases but the figures may be subject to inaccuracies associated with any recording system.

Public Records

Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to encourage government departments to meet their targets and legal obligations relating to the release of records to the National Archives.

Simon Hughes: Departments must comply with the provisions of the Public Records Act 1958 and the Lord Chancellor’s Code of Practice on Records Management, issued under section 46 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Government departments are currently in transition from the 30-year rule for transferring records to The National Archives to a 20-year rule, over a ten year period. The National Archives works closely with departments to help them meet their targets for transferring records through published statistics and capability assessments. On 6 November a report by the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on ministerial standards, Sir Alex Allan, was published. It contains a number of recommendations relating to how Government should manage its records. We have accepted these recommendations in full. The Ministry of Justice will continue to support The National Archives’ work with departments to facilitate Information Management Assessments and to encourage continued diligence in taking these recommendations forward.

Leader of the House

Travel

John Glen: To ask the Leader of the House, what total amount his Office spent on ministerial travel by (a) the Government Car and Despatch Agency and (b) other car hire in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Mr William Hague: The information on ministerial travel is published at:(i) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080722/wmstext/80722m0008.htm(ii) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090716/wmstext/90716m0009.htm(iii) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372The information requested for other car hire is not held centrally.

Ministry of Defence

Syria

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress the surveillance mission in Syria has made; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Libya

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was of the recent training operations for Libyan soldiers.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Iraq

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of airstrikes in Iraq.

Mr Mark Francois: Airstrikes in Iraq, including those conducted by the RAF, have contributed directly to halting some of ISIL's advances, and supporting Iraqi forces engaged on the ground. We routinely assess the results of each strike conducted by UK aircraft, and the overall effect of strikes, including through the use of our surveillance assets, which we have deployed to improve the coalition's understanding of the situation on the ground.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for which periods officers in the armed forces have been trained on the operation and use of drone technology in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the last two years.

Mr Mark Francois: In the last two years training on the unarmed HERMES 450 Unmanned Aircraft System has been conducted by Army personnel in Israel on a regular basis. The last training took place in July 2014. This training was a mixture of individual and pre-deployment training for HERMES operators, and technical training for support personnel. Over this period, more than 270 personnel received training by the civilian contractor in Israel. No training has been conducted within the Occupied Palestinian territories.

Libya

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on the future training of Libyan soldiers; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology (Philip Dunne) on 11 November 2014 to Question UIN 213403, to the hon. Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones). http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=213403

Department for Work and Pensions

Public Opinion

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on (a) focus groups and (b) surveys in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date.

Steve Webb: The Department spent on surveys: i. 2013: £9,482,924ii. 2014 to date: £10,033,878 This includes high profile, internationally recognised surveys such as the Family Resources Survey, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, the Labour Force Survey and the Wealth and Assets Survey. Please note · That the figures for 2014 to date are estimates based on planned research spend;· the survey spend is made up of “regular” surveys as there may also be research that we carry out that includes some surveying not within this cost; and· The figures for focus group are not consolidated and only available at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) ATOS-assessed fit to work Employment Support Allowance (ESA) Work Force claimants have successfully appealed to a tribunal since 2010, (b) successful incapacity benefit have there been between 2006-08 and (c) ESA Work Force have appeals there have been between 2008-10.

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Employment Support Allowance (ESA) work focus claimants who were assessed as fit to work by ATOS, have appealed at a tribunal since 2010; how many incapacity benefit appeals there were between 2006 and 2008; and how many Employment Support Allowance work focus appeals there were between 2008 to 2010.

Mr Mark Harper: The information as requested is not available.   Atos do not make decisions on eligibility for employment and support allowance. Decisions are taken by DWP decision makers, taking account of all the available evidence including the report provided by Atos.   Her Majesty's Court &Tribunal Service (HMCTS) publishes quarterly information on appeals here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics

Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants disallowed from Employment Support Allowance (ESA) Work Focus benefit have been placed on ESA on more than one occasion.

Mr Mark Harper: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance: Motherwell

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency in receipt of employment support allowance have been subject to sanctions since March 2014.

Mr Mark Harper: The information requested is shown in the table below. Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Sanction Decisions –Number of individuals with an adverse benefit sanction applied in Motherwell and Wishaw Parliamentary Constituency.:March 2014 to June 2014. MonthTotal number of adverse Sanction Decisions applied  Mar-140Apr-145May-147Jun-140Source: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.   Notes:  1. Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data.  2. This information is published at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/  Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Employment and Support Allowance: Dundee

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants there are in Dundee East constituency.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants there are in Perth and North Perthshire constituency.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants there are in Moray constituency.

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants there are in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency.

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants there are in Banff and Buchan constituency.

Mr Mark Harper: The information requested to answer each of the above questions is shown in the table below.   Number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants by each Parliamentary Constituency requested: As at May 2014TotalBanff and Buchan3,230Dundee East3,850Moray2,750Na h-Eileanan an Iar900Perth and North Perthshire3,320 Source: DWP, 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.   Notes: Figures are rounded to the nearest ten and some disclosure control has been applied;Parliamentary Constituency of claimant (Westminster) these constituencies are used for the Westminster parliament.This information is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool

Access to Work Programme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he takes to ensure that disabled applicants who receive a confirmed job offer can apply for support from Access to Work in advance of their starting employment; and how many disabled people have benefited from assistance under the Access to Work scheme to date.

Mr Mark Harper: The Access to Work scheme will take applications from those who have an offer of employment up to 6 weeks before their given start date. Access to Work offers a fast track application process when an urgent decision is required.   Volumes of disabled people who have been helped by AtW support each year are only available back to 2007/08. These are published in table 1 on page 11 of the publication at the link below. This shows that in total, between 1st April 2007 and 30th June 2014, 114,520 disabled people have benefitted from assistance under the Access to Work scheme:   https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/365329/access-to-work-statistics-april-june-2014.pdf

Children: Maintenance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants to the Child Maintenance Service have been exempted from the £20 application fee since it was introduced on 30 June 2014.

Steve Webb: The 2012 child maintenance scheme, administered by the Child Maintenance Service, was opened to all new applicants on 25 November 2013. We are not yet in a position to release full statistics, therefore we are unable to provide the information requested. When system data becomes available and fully assured they will be released as part of a managed process, which will be pre-announced and in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.   We have released limited, relevant data on the 2012 statutory child maintenance scheme on an experimental basis. This is available on the GOV.UK website at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Procurement

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many contracts signed by her Department with suppliers of services or consultants include a clause providing that if the contract is abrogated by the Government, the provider or consultant will be compensated for lost income since 2010.

Dan Rogerson: The standard terms and conditions used by core Defra do not include compensation clauses in the event of termination of the contract. Reviewing all contracts signed since 2010 to identify possible exceptions to our standard terms would entail disproportionate costs.   Since January 2011, as part of the Government’s transparency programme, details of contracts worth over £10,000 are published online on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder).

Home Office

Immigration Controls: Aviation

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2014 to Question 210766, what estimate she has made of the number of flights into private airfields which were not notified to UK Border Force in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 04 November 2014



Border Force has significantly improved general aviation controls since 2010 with the addition of checks against flight plans, robust risk assessment and the introduction of the Operating Mandate in 2012, which sets out the checks which must be made on general aviation flights.All private flight operators are required to provide passenger information in advance, in the form of a General Aviation Report (GAR). It is not possible to provide an estimate for how many flights arrive at private airfields without having submitted a GAR. However, Border Force carries out regular exercises to monitor compliance, and continuously cross-checks GARS received against the Civil Aviation Tracking System (CATs), which details all flights plans in and out of the UK. Any GA flights identified by CATS for which a GAR has not been received will be identified as high risk and will be met by Border Force officers on landing.

European Arrest Warrants

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the UK has given the notification described in Article 28(1) of EU Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA on the European Arrest Warrant.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 06 November 2014



The UK has not given the notification described in Article 28(1) of EU Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA.

Passports

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what target has been set for time taken to process applications from UK citizens waiting to return to the UK with surrogate children from outside the EU; and how many such applications made in the last three years were processed within that time.

James Brokenshire: Entry Clearance applications are divided into settlement and non-settlement categories. The ‘settlement’ category includes applications to bring an adopted non-EU child to the UK. The service standard for processing ‘settlement’ applications is: 95 per cent within 12 weeks of the application date and 100 per cent within 24 weeks of the application date, however, there may be circumstances in complex cases where a decision will take longer. The Home Office does not record whether the adopted child was a surrogate birth or not on the entry clearance case-working system in a way that can be used to produce statistic

Aviation

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many private flights landing in the UK her Department has (a) been notified of and (b) checked each year since 2010.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many private flights landing in the UK of which her Department had been notified were (a) classified as high priority and (b) checked in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Border Force does not have the requested data prior to 2012/13. The number of General Aviation flights Border Force were notified of since 2012/13 is shown in the table below. Border Force carries out checks on all General Aviation flights notified.   YearNumber of notified GA flights2013/1453,4342012/1343,556 We do not comment on flight prioritisation on the grounds of operational security. Border Force carries out checks on all GA flights notified.

Immigration

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been convicted of offences under section 24(1)(b) of the Immigration Act 1971 in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 17 November 2014



The table below provides the number of defendants proceeded against for offences under Section 24(1)(b) of the Immigration Act 1971 in England and Wales from 2009 to 2013. The statistics on defendants proceeded against for offences under Immigration Acts 1971 to 2007 in England and Wales are supplied by the Ministry of Justice for the Home Office to publish annually within Immigration Statistics. Annual data is available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: April – June 2014, table pr_01, from the Library of the House and from the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2014. The new Immigration Act makes it harder for people to live in the UK illegally. It makes it harder for illegal immigrants to abuse our benefits and public services, and makes it easier for us to remove them by reducing the number of appeals.   



Defendants proceeded against
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.73 KB)

Vetting

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations she has received on the time taken to process Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have experienced a delay of more than two weeks in receiving a standard Disclosure and Barring Service check in each month in 2014.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what average length of time has been taken to process a standard Disclosure and Barring Service check in each month of 2014.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have made a complaint of a delay in receiving their standard Disclosure and Barring Service check in the last 12 months.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 17 November 2014



The Department has had a small number of queries from MPs regarding delays to their constituents enhanced disclosures in recent months.The following table shows the number of standard certificates that have been delayed by more than two weeks in each month in 2014.MonthTotal Despatched<14 Days> 14 Days2014-0119,38918,8875022014-0220,19519,9952002014-0319,74019,5122282014-0420,32219,6496732014-0521,18720,6924952014-0623,55222,9945582014-0723,27521,7951,4802014-0821,84418,3483,4962014-0925,06422,4262,6382014-1025,38524,569816 The average length of time taken to process a standard DBS certificate in each month of 2014 is illustrated below:MonthAverage Days TakenTotal Despatched2014-013.2219,3892014-023.1520,1952014-035.5719,7402014-045.0320,3222014-055.2221,1872014-065.8723,5522014-076.6023,2752014-087.9521,8442014-097.5625,0642014-105.9225,385 This is based upon the average time taken (between form received date and disclosure despatch date) of standard disclosures despatched between 01/01/2014 and 31/10/2014.  DBS does not hold specific information relating to the number of complaints received concerning delays in processing standard certificates.

Borders: Security

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of how many lorries entering the UK were screened by (a) body-scanning machines and (b) dogs in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 17 November 2014



Body detection freight scanners are one of a range of screening techniques used by Border Force. Border Force operates a multi-layered search regime, which includes detection dogs, carbon- dioxide monitors, heartbeat detectors and scanners.Border Force estimates that approximately 1.2 million vehicles have been screened entering the UK through juxtaposed port, by Passive Millimetre Wave Imager (PMMWI) and 1.1 million vehicles by dogs in the last 12 months.

Asylum: Sri Lanka

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department consults the Foreign and Commonwealth Office when determining the veracity of claims of torture by asylum applicants from Sri Lanka; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: We recognise that there are credible reports of torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence perpetrated by the security forces in the aftermath of the civil war. The Home Office's consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office varies from case to case. However, we are in regular discussions about the human rights situation in Sri Lanka more generally and the information provided is reflected in the Home Office’s published country information and guidance report(s) which are publicly available. All asylum claims made by those from Sri Lanka continue to be carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with the 1951 Refugee Convention, the European Convention on Human Rights and against the background of the latest country information and relevant caselaw – including a Court of Appeal judgment from 18 June 2014 which found that not everyone, including all Tamils, are at risk on return to Sri Lanka.

European Arrest Warrants

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her contribution of 10 November 2014, Official Report, column 1248, on criminal law, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the European Arrest Warrant in assisting the extradition from the Republic of Ireland of fugitives from the UK; and if she will give a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times since May 2010 a European Arrest Warrant been used to bring fugitives from the Republic of Ireland to the UK; and if she will give a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Government believes the Arrest Warrant has greatly improved extradition relations with Ireland, and has considered this matter extensively. Between 1973 and 1999 eight people in total were extradited to the UK from Ireland for terrorism offences. However, during this period the UK made 110 extradition requests to the Republic of Ireland in relation to terrorist offences, meaning that less than 10% of UK requests were successful during this period.Since April 2010, one person has been surrendered after being charged with a terrorist offence and two people have been surrendered after being charged with terrorist-related offences. Patrick Gordon was arrested in Ireland in May 2013 and surrendered to the United Kingdom in May 2014. He is charged with possessing documents containing information of a kind likely to be used by terrorists - bomb making recipes to produce napalm type weapons.Liam Rainey was surrendered to the UK in 2011. He was convicted of kidnapping a well-known republican in Belfast.Ryan McKenna was arrested in Ireland in September 2013 and surrendered to the UK in February 2014. He is charged with conspiracy to cause explosions and possessing explosives. Along with four individuals he is accused of trying to bomb a railway line using an IED and a home-made mortar.We are not aware of any UK requests to Ireland for terrorist and terrorism-related offences being refused under the Arrest Warrant.The Government has also listened carefully to the views expressed by Irish and Northern Irish Minister in this regard. In an article in the Irish Independent on 6 November 2014, Irish Justice Minister Francs Fitzgerald emphasised that the Arrest Warrant had "greatly assisted our mutual efforts to fight cross-border crime and to bring serious criminals, including terrorists, to justice". The Irish Government also made clear in a letter dated 4 September 2014 from the Justice Minister to the Home Secretary, that if the UK failed to opt in to the package of the Arrest Warrant by 1 December 2014, there would have been no guarantee that the courts would consider their obligations under previously issued Arrest Warrants to be ongoing. This could result in those being held in Irish prisons as a result of a UK issued Arrest Warrant walking free.Between April 2010 and March 2014, of the 537 people who were surrendered to the United Kingdom from all Member States, 88 were surrendered from Ireland. This represents 16% of all surrenders to the United Kingdom during this period, and is the second highest overall surrender figure of all Member States. The following table sets out the numbers surrendered in each financial year:2010-112011-122012-132013-14 TotalTotal Arrest Warrant surrenders to the UK from all Member States130144123140537Arrest Warrant surrenders from the Republic of Ireland to the UK2220242288   The total of 88 surrenders includes:• Four for murder;• Two for rape;• 17 for child sex offences;• One for kidnapping;• Two for armed robbery; and• 11 for Grievous Bodily HarmDuring this same period the UK (excluding Scotland) surrendered 114 people to Ireland, including for offences of murder, rape and child sex offences.Although extradition to and from Ireland was previously covered by the Backing of Warrants scheme, if the UK were not to rejoin the Arrest Warrant it would rely on the 1957 European Convention on Extradition (ECE) in its relations with Ireland and all other EU member states. The Arrest Warrant offers the UK distinct advantages over the ECE. Firstly, the process of extradition under the Arrest Warrant is quicker and cheaper than under the ECE. It takes approximately three months to surrender someone using an Arrest Warrant. However, it takes ten months on average using the ECE. On average it costs £13,000 to extradite someone using the EAW, and £62,000 using the ECE. This means that it would have cost the UK more than £5.5million more to extradite the same number of people to Ireland between 2010 and 2013.Secondly, under the ECE certain countries can refuse to extradite their own nationals. This is not possible under the Arrest Warrant. Thirdly, under the ECE, extradition can also be refused due to the length of time that has passed since the offence was committed. Again this is not possible under the Arrest Warrant.Fourthly, Article 3 of the ECE allows refusals for ‘political offences’. It would be possible for terrorists to argue that their activities fell within the scope of this ground for refusal.

HM Treasury

Income Tax

Mr Michael Meacher: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2012 to Question 292135, what was the average tax paid by those people in each of the top (a) 10, (b) five, (c) one, (d) 0.1 and (e) 0.01 per cent of the population.

Mr David Gauke: The proportion of total income accounted for by the top 10, 5 and 1 per cent of UK taxpayers by income can be found in table 2.4 'Share of total income (before and after tax) and income tax for percentile groups', available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/income-tax-statistics-and-distributions The number and average income of taxpayers in each group can be determined from the above together with table 2.5 'Income Tax liabilities, by income range', with reference to the total number of taxpayers and their income stated on this table.

EU Budget

Chris Leslie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department was first made aware of the EU Statistical Office revisions to the UK's gross national income and value added tax balances and subsequent calculation of an EU member state's contribution to the 2014 Amending Budget.

Mr David Gauke: As my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer told the House on 4 November, Col 565, there was a meeting at the Commission on Friday 17 October. On Tuesday 21 October, Treasury officials prepared advice for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Prime Minister was aware of the advice on Thursday 23 October. That is very similar to the timetable that the Dutch Government have set out.

Railways: Fares

Lilian Greenwood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of increasing regulated rail fares by RPI in 2015.

Danny Alexander: On 7 September the Government announced the government would extend the freeze on rail fares so that no regulated rail fares will increase by more than inflation. The Chancellor also announced that for 2015, train companies will no longer have the flexibility to increase some fares by 2% above the cap. As set out in the press release these measures will cost £100m by 2015/16.

Tax Avoidance

Mr George Howarth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of UK tax which was lost to tax avoidance practices adopted by multinational technology companies in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013.

Mr David Gauke: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) do not publish information on the tax lost to avoidance by particular sectors of the economy.   HMRC publish estimates of the tax gap in Measuring Tax Gaps each year. The 2014 edition (published on 16 October 2014) presents a time series of tax gaps from 2005-06 to 2012-13, which can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps HMRC has also produced an illustrative breakdown of the tax gap by behaviour, including avoidance, for several years including 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.   Previous editions of ‘Measuring Tax Gaps’ can be accessed at the same link given above.

Tax Avoidance

Guto Bebb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to increase the resources allocated to HM Revenue and Customs to reduce tax avoidance by large multinational corporations.

Mr David Gauke: This government has taken a wide range of action to tackle corporate tax avoidance over this parliament, sending out a clear message that large businesses need to pay their fair share. We have closed down numerous loopholes and have led efforts at the G20 and OECD to reform the international rules that some multinationals exploit to avoid tax. Work is continuing at pace with our international partners to finalise recommendations and to deliver those reforms. Alongside this we have invested heavily in Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) tax compliance activities, including a £30 million funding provided at Autumn Statement 2012 to increase work on identifying and challenging multinationals’ transfer pricing arrangements and further strengthening risk assessment capability across the large business sector. As a result of close monitoring and compliance work HMRC recovered around £31 billion in tax revenues from large UK businesses between April 2010 and March 2014. In addition, this year HMRC launched a new dedicated Large Business directorate to deal closely with the tax affairs of the 2,100 largest businesses in the UK.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Rachel Reeves: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many benefit claims have been made by adults in the UK in respect of children resident in another country since 2010.

Rachel Reeves: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for how many children resident in another country benefit claims have been made by adults in the UK since 2010.

Priti Patel: The information is not held.

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Dr William McCrea: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will give further financial assistance to the Northern Ireland Executive to fund public sector pensions, health and education.

Danny Alexander: The Northern Ireland Executive, like the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, is expected to meet the costs of public sector pensions and spending on health and education from within its existing budgets.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Electricity Generation

Mr Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether he has made an assessment of the availability of generators to back up fluctuations in wind and solar supply to ensure security of electricity supply.

Matthew Hancock: It is National Grid’s responsibility to procure enough operating reserve as might be required for the real-time balancing of the system, which is a vital part of ensuring security of electricity supply. This includes fluctuations in wind and solar generation, as well as tripping of thermal and nuclear plant.The Annual Energy Statement made by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 6 November 2014 (Official Report, Column 982-985) sets out the range of actions the Government has taken to ensure security of electricity supply:http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm141106/debtext/141106-0001.htm#14110630000001.

Climate Change

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the potential economic contribution of the export of UK expertise in the climate change mitigation and adaption sector as a result of other states' efforts to meet Intended Nationally Determined Contributions commitments.

Amber Rudd: All countries are expected to come forward with their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) well ahead of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) in December 2015. Countries are in most cases already taking action to reduce emissions. A credible assessment of the additional export potential related to INDCs is not possible, as INDCs that are yet to be determined.

Cabinet Office

Procurement

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many contracts signed by his Department with suppliers of services or consultants include a clause providing that if the contract is abrogated by the Government, the provider or consultant will be compensated for lost income since 2010.

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many contracts signed by 10 Downing Street with suppliers of services or consultants include a clause providing that if the contract is abrogated by the Government, the provider or consultant will be compensated for lost income since 2010.

Mr Francis Maude: The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.Since January 2011, as part of the Government’s transparency programme, details of procurement opportunities, tender documents and contracts worth over £10,000 are published online on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder), and the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) also publishes details of its contracts on its web site (http://ccs.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/).

Travel

John Glen: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what total amount his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) the Government Car and Despatch Agency and (b) other car hire in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Mr Francis Maude: Information on Ministerial Travel is published at:(i) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080722/wmstext/80722m0008.htm(ii) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090716/wmstext/90716m0009.htm(iii) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372

Former Prime Ministers

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which office administers the public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers; and what checks are made to ensure that claims against that allowance meet its criteria.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the limit is of the public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers; and when that limit will next be reviewed.

Mr Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office administers the Public Duty Cost Allowance. Claims are processed by the Cabinet Office’s finance function, and all claims are subject to audit as part of the annual audit of Cabinet Office expenditure, by both internal audit and the National Audit Office. Relevant supporting documentation and corroboration are made available to the Cabinet Office finance team who administer the payments.The current limit for the PDCA is £115,000. The limit is reviewed on an annual basis.

Government Departments: Statistics

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions the UK Statistics Authority has written to ministers or officials since May 2010 to question or correct numerical information or statements made by ministers or departments.

Mr Rob Wilson: All official correspondence from or to the UK Statistics Authority is publicly available on its website.

Civil Service

David Mowat: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve the engineering and finance capabilities of the Civil Service.

Mr Francis Maude: A focus of Civil Service Reform is to build the capability of civil servants to ensure they have the skills they need to do their work better.The 2014 Capabilities Plan Annual Refresh set out the steps which all professions should take in order to improve the capability of their members. These included ensuring talent management programmes are in place, curricula, professional networks, and qualification options.All Government departments have undertaken two annual reviews of their skills levels and requirements. The results of these reviews are fed into Departmental Capabilities Plans and Departmental Improvement Plans.

Voluntary Work

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of changes in the number of people undertaking voluntary work.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Community Life Survey results show that the increase in volunteering seen in the year of the Olympics has been sustained.

Charity Commission

Simon Hart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Charity Commission has sufficient powers to oversee and intervene in the running of charities.

Mr Rob Wilson: Last month we published the draft Protection of Charities Bill which would give the Charity Commission stronger powers to tackle rare cases of serious abuse in charities.

Electronic Government

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Government Digital Service.

Mr Francis Maude: We have designed and created the award-winning and world-leading gov.uk, the central web domain for Government information. We are redesigning 25 major Government services to make them simpler, clearer and faster to use. That will not only provide savings to the taxpayer, but improve delivery for the public, focused on user need, not Government convenience.

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Helen Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve government transparency.

Mr Francis Maude: We are implementing the commitments in our Open Government Partnership National Action Plan ensuring we maintain the UK’s position as a world leader on transparency and open data.

Electronic Government

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress he has made on digitising government services.

Mr Francis Maude: We have designed and created the award-winning and world-leading gov.uk, the central web domain for Government information. We are redesigning 25 major Government services to make them simpler, clearer and faster to use. That will not only provide savings to the taxpayer, but improve delivery for the public, focused on user need, not Government convenience.

Electronic Government

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress the Government Digital Service has made on moving public services online.

Mr Francis Maude: We have designed and created the award-winning and world-leading gov.uk, the central web domain for Government information. We are redesigning 25 major Government services to make them simpler, clearer and faster to use. That will not only provide savings to the taxpayer, but improve delivery for the public, focused on user need, not Government convenience.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Nuisance Calls

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of banning the use of automated telephone dialling technology in order to prevent nuisance calls.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Holding answer received on 18 November 2014



A call being made by an automated dialler is not automatically a nuisance call, providing the organisation complies with the relevant legislation, such as the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) that specifically relates to sales and marketing calls.   A ban on the use of automated telephone dialling technology has therefore not been considered necessary by Government.

Deputy Prime Minister

Local Enterprise Partnerships: South West

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership about the timing and size of the second phase of local growth deals.

Greg Clark: Holding answer received on 18 November 2014



Discussions are ongoing with officials across all 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships on round two of Growth Deals. Heart of the South West LEP secured £118m from the Local Growth Fund in the first round of Growth Deals, which when combined with other investments produced a total package of £258m to support economic growth in the area.

Department of Health

Meningitis: Vaccination

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what timescale his Department has set for rolling out the meningococcal group B vaccine Bexsero to all babies as part of the national immunisation programme.

Jane Ellison: The Department is continuing negotiations for the supply of the meningococcal B vaccine Bexsero® with the manufacturer Novartis with a view to securing a cost-effective price as recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.   Plans for inclusion of the Bexsero® in the routine infant immunisation programme will depend on the outcome of these negotiations, which will be completed as quickly as practicable.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will commission a carriage study into whether the meningococcal group B vaccine Bexsero should be extended and administered to adolescents and students.

Jane Ellison: Work is under way by Departmental officials to explore a possible acquisition of a carriage study, as suggested by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Patients: Safety

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress organisations which have participated in the Sign up to Safety campaign have made on fulfilling the pledges in that campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to promote the Sign up to Safety campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Sign up to Safety campaign is on course to achieve its three-year objective to (a) reduce avoidable harm by 50 per cent and (b) save 6,000 lives.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Sign up to Safety campaign was launched on 24 June 2014. Each organisation that has joined the campaign has committed to improving patient safety through the implementation of a Safety Improvement Plan. The Safety Improvement Plan builds on the pledges the organisation set out when joining. The pledges are expanded in more detail in the plan, which sets out what the organisation wants to achieve and by when. Each organisation is expected to demonstrate how they will measure the local impact of their aims over the next three years via a measurement section within their plans. They will then implement their aims over the next three years.   The Sign up to Safety campaign is being promoted by means of: - a national campaign website; - regional and national presentations at events across the country delivered by the Campaign Director, the Secretary of State and others; - Twitter with over 1,500 followers; - a blog by the Campaign Director; - an online seminar programme (webinars); - through partner organisations including NHS England, Care Quality Commission, Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority, NHS Litigation Authority, Health Education England, and NHS Improving Quality; - mini poster campaigns, such as the Safe Care Costs Less, and individual events, such as the launch of the Patient Briefing Video; and - through participant websites and local events.   As at the end of October 2014, a total number of 136 organisations have agreed to participate in the Sign up to Safety campaign. Each participant organisation is expected to set out how they will contribute to the campaign’s three year objective via their Safety Improvement Plan – they are expected to quantify the expected impact of their actions on a reduction of avoidable harm and saving lives. The measurement and evaluation of the impact at a regional and national level will be led by NHS England working with NHS Improving Quality as part of the integrated measurement strategy for both the campaign and the Patient Safety Collaborative programme. This will include the National Reporting and Learning System, harms via the Safety Thermometer and mortality rates, case studies of individual organisations and patient record reviews.

Cancer: Drugs

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of women who are eligible for tamoxifen and raloxifene are offered this treatment.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure routine access to tamoxifen and raloxifene for the indication of chemoprevention in the UK.

George Freeman: In June 2013 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued an updated clinical guideline on familial breast cancer which includes recommendations on the use of tamoxifen and raloxifene outside their licensed indications for the prevention of cancer in specific groups of women at high and moderate risk of breast cancer.   NICE’s clinical guidelines represent best practice and we expect commissioners to take their recommendations into account when designing services and making commissioning decisions for their healthcare population.   Information on the number of women treated with tamoxifen and raloxifene for the treatment or prevention of breast cancer is not collected centrally.

Health Services: Eastleigh

Mr Michael Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide funding to support the delivery of more healthcare services from the Moorgreen Hospital site in Eastleigh constituency.

Dr Daniel Poulter: This is a matter for West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).   We are advised that ownership of Moorgreen Hospital has been transferred to NHS Property Services and it is working with commissioners to plan for the site’s future use in line with the CCG’s commissioning proposals.

Neuromuscular Disorders

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cough assist machines clinical commissioning groups have funded for patients with muscular dystrophy and neuromuscular conditions in the last 12 months.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not hold figures on the number of cough assist machines clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have funded for patients with muscular dystrophy and neuromuscular conditions in the last 12 months. Funding for cough assist machines is a matter for individual CCGs taking into account the individual circumstances of each patient.

Procurement

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many contracts signed by his Department with suppliers of services or consultants include a clause providing that if the contract is abrogated by the Government, the provider or consultant will be compensated for lost income since 2010.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Information for all contracts is not held centrally and to provide a complete answer would result in disproportionate cost.

Cancer: Drugs

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that clinically-proven, cost-effective drugs are made routinely available to all when they are shown to be of use in a new indication but are off-patent.

George Freeman: We support appropriate use of off-patent medicines in areas where the evidence suggests that they can deliver patient benefit. Doctors can already prescribe a drug outside its licensed indications where they judge it to be the most clinically appropriate treatment for an individual patient. Medicines are routinely prescribed legally, safely and appropriately outside their licensed indications to large numbers of National Health Service patients.   We are in the process of setting up a round-table discussion with key stakeholders, NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to review the evidence and explore opportunities to work together to better support appropriate use of these medicines.

Prostate Cancer: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the British Medical Association and medical authorities on the link between prostate cancer drugs and fatal heart attacks.

George Freeman: Medicines known as androgen deprivation therapy are widely used and effective for the treatment of prostate cancer and their benefits to patients with prostate cancer outweigh their risks. Androgen deprivation therapy has been associated with a risk of adverse effects on the heart. The product information (Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information Leaflet) for these medicines includes warnings about this risk for healthcare professionals and patients.   The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, as advised by its expert scientific committee the Commission on Human Medicines, continuously monitors the safety of all medicines on the market in the United Kingdom. A recent review of cardiovascular risk by the European regulatory authorities, including UK, concluded that androgen therapy medicines which are used to treat prostate cancer can cause a disturbance in heart rhythm (cardiac QT interval prolongation). The likelihood of this side effect is increased in patients with existing heart disease such as heart failure. The product information of these medicines will be updated to reflect this new information and healthcare professionals will be informed of any new advice.

Depressive Illnesses: Paracetamol

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on a potential link between paracetamol and the treatment of anxiety.

George Freeman: We are aware of a study carried out by researchers from the University of British Columbia and published in Psychological Science in 20131 that suggested taking paracetamol may blunt the psychological response to stress.   In response, NHS Choices advised that2:   “It is not appropriate to suggest that paracetamol can be taken for any possible effects on emotional pain and feelings of distress. It has not been formally tested or approved for this use. It is also important to highlight that paracetamol can be dangerous when taken in quantities higher than the recommended dose.” 1 Randles D, Heine SJ, Santos N. The Common Pain of Surrealism and Death - Acetaminophen Reduces Compensatory Affirmation Following Meaning Threats. Psychological Sciences. Published online April 11 2013 2 www.nhs.uk/news/2013/04April/Pages/paracetamol-not-recommended-for-painful-emotions.aspx

Medical Treatments

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reform the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence so that all patients can access the appropriate drugs and treatments their doctors think they need.

George Freeman: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) was re-established in primary legislation in April 2013. NICE plays a vital role in ensuring that National Health Service resources deliver the maximum benefit to patients and it has helped to secure access to clinically and cost effective drugs and treatments for many thousands of patients. NICE has demonstrated its ability to adapt to changes in the health and care environment, and we expect it will continue to evolve in the future.

Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that all medicines added to or removed from the Cancer Drugs Fund list are assessed in a fair and transparent manner.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when NHS England plans for its new standard operating procedure for the Cancer Drugs Fund to come into operation.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will include patient experience or feedback in his Department's proposed re-evaluation process for the drugs on the Cancer Drugs Fund list.

George Freeman: NHS England published its revised standard operating procedures for the Cancer Drugs Fund on 12 November. These set out the basis on which the Cancer Drugs Fund panel will make decisions on which drugs are included within the national Cancer Drugs Fund list and are available at:   www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/sop-cdf-1114.pdf   Patient representatives sit on the Cancer Drugs Fund panel to ensure that the panel’s decisions take the patient’s perspective into account.

Learning Disability: Nurses

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nurses on the number of learning disability liaison nurses in hospitals.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Following the recommendations of the UK Modernising Learning Disabilities Nursing Review, led by the Four Chief Nursing Officers, a UK Implementation Group was set up to support the groups that were established at country level to oversee the development of action plans and onward progression against the 17 recommendations set out in the 2012 Strengthening the Commitment report.   The Royal College of Nursing is represented in the UK Implementation Group that meets regularly to monitor progress in each country and to provide support including workforce strategies to strengthen the learning disabilities nursing workforce. Learning disabilities nurses work within a diverse range of settings and the UK Implementation Group has set up a number of work streams to look at the needs of the workforce and improve hospital care for people with learning disabilities.   The Department has worked with the Royal College of Nursing over a number of years to produce annual events to raise the profile of learning disability nursing and promote the profession as an attractive career choice.

Heart Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission research on a potential link between malonate esters and reduced damage from heart failure.

George Freeman: Research carried out in mice relating to this topic has recently been published in the journal Nature. The research was conducted by researchers in Cambridge, London, New York and Glasgow and funded by the British Heart Foundation, the Medical Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Gates Cambridge Trust. The researchers intend to develop this research further.   The Department’s National Institute for Health Research is investing £674 million over five years (2012-17) in 11 biomedical research centres that conduct translational research to transform scientific breakthroughs into benefits for patients, including potential interventions to improve outcomes for patients experiencing heart failure. These centres are formed through partnerships between England’s leading national health service organisations and universities, including partnerships in Cambridge and London.

Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the projected Cancer Drugs Fund expenditure is accurately calculated.

George Freeman: NHS England is responsible for the financial management of the Cancer Drugs Fund. We understand that NHS England uses data from clinical trials and from pharmaceutical companies to help predict the budgetary impact of both the existing drugs available through the Fund and drugs that could become available in the future. NHS England is continually validating these predictions against data on actual spend.

Arthritis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the potential to treat arthritis with injection instead of hip or knee replacement operations.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not hold information on the potential to treat arthritis with injections in place of hip or knee replacement operations. However, the Department is aware that intra-articular corticosteroid injections are used to relieve pain and inflammation in arthritic joints. It is for the responsible clinician to decide on the most appropriate treatment for patients on a case-by-case basis.

Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate his Department has made of the projected expenditure for the Cancer Drugs Fund for the next financial year.

George Freeman: We understand that NHS England expects expenditure for the Cancer Drugs Fund during 2014-15 will exceed the budget of £280 million. NHS England will continue to closely monitor and review both spend in 2014-15 and projections for 2015-16.

Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to work with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), charities and the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry to ensure alignment between the work of the Cancer Drugs Fund and NICE.

George Freeman: NHS England is leading work to develop options to ensure greater alignment between the Cancer Drugs Fund and the work of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.   We understand that NHS England is currently developing proposals for discussion with key stakeholders.

NHS: Insurance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2014 to Question 212752, what proportion of NHS foundation trusts have taken out commercial building insurance for cover beyond the standard NHS Litigation Authority cover.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2014 to Question 212749, what discussions his Department has had with the insurance industry on the proportion of NHS foundation trusts not covered beyond the standard NHS Litigation Authority cover.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department does not hold information on the proportion of NHS foundation trusts that have taken out commercial building insurance to top up cover beyond the standard NHS Litigation Authority cover.   Ministers have had discussions with the insurance industry regarding the NHS Litigation Authority’s indemnity schemes, though not in relation to the proportion of NHS foundation trusts not covered beyond the standard NHS Litigation Authority cover.

General Dental Council

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has had from the British Dental Association on the recent practices of the General Dental Council; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Since May 2014, when the Professional Standards Authority announced that it was going to carry out an investigation on the General Dental Council (GDC), the Department has received a number of representations from the British Dental Association (BDA) regarding the recent practices of the GDC.   As at 14 November 2014, these representations included a letter from Dr Mick Armstrong, Chair of the BDA. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality (Earl Howe) provided a response on 28 July 2014 and I provided a response on 1 August 2014 regarding the competence of the GDC and the annual retention fee.   My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Jane Ellison), on 22 October 2014, also met with the BDA where they discussed wider regulatory issues facing dentists. Ministers have regular contact with the BDA and are aware of their concerns regarding the GDC fee increase.

Health Professions: English Language

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department spends annually on language controls for nurses, midwives, dentists, dental care practitioners and pharmacy technicians.

Dr Daniel Poulter: There is no annual Departmental spend around language controls for nurses, midwives, dentists, dental care practitioners and pharmacy technicians, as it is for individual National Health Service employers to ensure that all healthcare professionals have a sufficient knowledge of the English language to be able to perform the roles for which they are employed.   Furthermore, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), General Dental Council (GDC), the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) as the independent regulators of these healthcare professionals, have powers to carry out language controls for all international professionals.   In addition, we are currently consulting on proposals to give powers to the NMC, GDC, GPhC and PSNI to enable them to introduce similar language controls for all European Economic Area nurses, midwives, dentists, dental care professionals, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

Travel

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what total amount his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) the Government Car and Despatch Agency and (b) other car hire in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Information relating to ministerial travel by the Government Car and Despatch Agency has already been published and can be found at:   2007-08www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080722/wmstext/80722m0008.htm 2008-09 www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090716/wmstext/90716m0009.htm 2009-10www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372 Information relating to other car hire could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.